Hungary-Croatia Border Closed, Slovenia Tightens Control as Migrants Arrive

  17 October 2015    Read: 895
Hungary-Croatia Border Closed, Slovenia Tightens Control as Migrants Arrive
Hungary has closed its border with Croatia as migrants from the Middle East and Africa continued to flood the country trying to get to western Europe.
"The Hungarian-Croatian green border has been closed on Friday midnight and the same border control method has been introduced there as at the Hungarian-Serbian border," Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said as cited in a Saturday statement on the official website of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s office.

According to the statement, two transit zones have been established, where migrants entering the country can be registered.

"Mr. Kovács underlined the fact that it remains possible to enter the country legally through the Hungarian-Croatian border as well," the statement on the Hungarian government website said.

Slovenia is now in danger of being overwhelmed by migrants as Croatia plans to direct them to Slovenia now that the border with Hungary is closed.

On Friday evening, Slovenia stopped rail transport from Croatia and strengthened security at its borders.

Over 700,000 migrants arrived in the European Union within the first nine months of 2015, according to EU border protection agency Frontex. The migrants are leaving their conflict-torn countries in Africa and the Middle East, such as Syria, in search of better life conditions in wealthy EU countries, such as Germany and Austria.

Hungary has been a major transit country for the refugees. Las month, Hungary closed its border with Serbia in an effort to curb the influx of refugees.

In September, the European Commission announced a quota scheme, providing for the resettlement of 160,000 refugees currently located in Greece, Italy and Hungary, throughout other European countries.

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